Lights
by Comicker
Summary: From his time in Egypt to the Battle City finals, Marik's story has gone grossly untold. Until now.
1. The Beginning

**Authors Note**: Hi there everybody, it's my first story! Alright! Well, just to give you a brief heads up, this is my FanFiction/interpretation of the Life of Marik Ishtar. This story starts from the birth of Yami Marik (aka. the killing of his father) and will carry through until the end of the Battle City arc. I've always had this idea in my head about how the plotholes of Marik's life would be filled; his journey from Egypt to Japan, his experiences with the Rare Hunters, his thoughts and basically how he changes. I'm an advocate of no "Mary-Sues" and if you're looking for a romantic fic, you've come to the wrong place. This is _my_ interpretation of Marik Ishtar's life and progression through the plot of Yu-Gi-Oh; all OC's will exist strictly for plot structure. I don't own Marik (although deep down, I wish I did) and I give all credit to the original creator! Alright, if you've read this far... keep on reading!

**LIGHTS -_ Chapter One_**

**The Beginning  
**

I never expected it to be like this.

It wasn't my fault though, it was never my fault.

I can still feel the cold, rough blade digging into the skin of my back as my father carved out the ancient tablet deep into my flesh. I can still taste the warm, salty sweat as it trickled down my face and grazed my lips. My ear-splitting shrieks filled those damp corridors with the first true sound I had heard in ages. Pain. However, I guess it's safe to say that a part of me had changed from that day forth. I was poisoned with the sheer malice and pain that had been thus inflicted upon me; I was drowning in it. The death of my father brought about new opportunities, new possibilities that I could undertake. I was able to go out into the world, but not as I had once hoped to. No… this time, my intentions had undertook a swift change of character. By obtaining all the Egyptian God cards and the Millennium items, I would be able to claim the title of Pharaoh and save my family from their pathetic position as tomb keepers. I had a plan; foolish, maybe… but deep down I knew that somehow it had to work. There was no turning back from that point on, I knew what I had to do.

I am Marik Ishtar, and this is my story.

* * *

Blood.

There was so much blood.

"You must… leave, Marik… you cannot stay." Odion was looking through me, almost as if I was a pane of glass. He was absolutely terrified. I dropped the Millennium Rod in my hand to the ground, slowly looking back and forth between my fathers corpse and the slumped body of my sister against the far wall. Odion was struggling to get to his feet, to get to me. With each gasping breath I grew increasingly more terrified; who had done this? Who had tried to murder my family? What the hell was going on here?

"Odion, who did this?"

He looked up at me painfully, pushing back the words that struggled to surface. With a long and hard breath, he finally opened his lips. "It was-"

Suddenly, the world around me grew cold. I fell to my knees, grasping painfully at the dirt floor and wincing as the rocks cut deep into my hands. There was a loud buzzing sound, a sound that deafened me to every other noise around. As I felt my face come in contact with the dirt, everything went dark and silent. Everything except the buzzing. As it went on, it began to form a oddly coherent sentence; a repetition of buzzing that went on for what seemed like centuries.

"_You, **Marik**. You. You. You._"

* * *

A single lamp hung from a hook over-top my bed. It remained solitary for there was no wind where I lived, nor was there real light. The only sound the lamp ever made was when I touched it, pushing it to slowly rock back and forth. When I was younger, I wondered what it would have felt like to be cradled like that. If I had ever known my mother, I'm sure she would have done it. In fact, I was sure I could remember the feeling in the back of my mind. It didn't matter if my head was playing tricks on me; the memory was probably false, but I had already come to accept that. I forced myself into believing it was real. I know she died long before she was able to cradle me.

Through the dimly lit area around my bed, I could see and hear nothing. There were usually many lamps hung around on hooks, illuminating the chamber. Still, there was nothing. My head pounded as I tried to lift myself from my bed. Every breath was a huge effort, at times it felt like my chest was collapsing on itself. I only managed to sit up in bed and lean against the wall before I felt like I was out of energy. What had happened to me? Had I been attacked like the rest of my family-

My family.

The image of my sisters body flashed in my mind, broken and curled up against the wall like some sort of puppet. Fear spread through my entire body as my hands began to shake and I forced back a surplus of tears. "Ishizu… I-ISHIZU!" I finally cried out, arching my back against the wall and clenching my fists together. "Ishizu, where are y-you… Ishizu…" There was nothing. No Ishizu, no father, no Odion. Nothing. Somehow had to have lifted me to my bed, someone would have found them and taken care of them; yes, that had to be it. They weren't dead, they couldn't be. I forced back the tears that threatened to spill and tried to calm myself down. From the corridor above, there were footsteps. I blinked and looked at the ceiling, half terrified and half intrigued. Someone must have heard me screaming, I thought. Maybe it was all just a bad dream.

The sound of light footsteps making their way down the stairs comforted me a bit, allowing my body to relax if only for a moment. As I waited, my eyes wandered to my bedside table. The Millennium Rod. My fathers most prized possession. What was it doing at my bedside? With a young boys curiosity, I leaned over and reached out to grasp it. The surface barely grazed the tips of my fingers before the figure entered my room.

"Marik Ishtar."

I blinked, looking up at the hooded figure. My hand instantly snatched the rod, pulling it close to my form as I backed up against the cold stone wall. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Shadi." He pulled down his hood, his bright blue eyes piercing my own. "I come on behalf of the Pharaoh and for the protection of the Millennium Items." His eyes wandered down to the Millennium Rod, which I only gripped tighter.

"What business does the Pharaoh have with me?" I asked, obviously hesitant.

"You are walking a very dangerous path, Marik Ishtar. That item you are holding there has great powers, powers a mere child cannot handle. You are letting yourself fall into an early grave." He took a step forward, his face slowly being revealed in the light from the lamp. He stretched out a hand towards me, obviously trying his best to stay calm. "Now, give it to me. Give it to me and then you may come to see your family."

"What do you know of them! Where are they-" I jumped to the only conclusion that I could find. He had murdered them, all of them. He was acting on the Pharaohs behalf; he attacked them and now he was holding them hostage. Damn that Pharaoh, damn him to the lowest depths of hell! How dare he come into the one place that had devoted themselves to him entirely and destroy everything? The rage and anger bubbled in my chest as I jumped out of bed and backed away from Shadi. "You murdered them, didn't you… you and that damn Pharaoh, you…"

"Marik, I can assure you that is not the case. Now please. Put the rod down, it's alright." I watched as he began to show some sure signs of panic, his eyes fleeting and searching around the room for something. He was probably looking for something to defend himself with, but by the time he had spotted something it was already too late. I shot my hand outward, thrusting the eye of the rod towards his figure and sending him crashing into the wall. My hands shook with the sheer power that had radiated through my arm and throughout the rest of my body. It felt like I was unstoppable.

"Hah… hahaha…!" I grinned sheepishly. "I did it, I did it… he's gone…"

But so was my family, or so I thought.

I looked around, enjoying the silence for only a brief instance before I heard voices up above.

"Did you hear that crashing? Shadi is down there, we better go check it out." Damn those guards. I clenched my teeth angrily, shoving the rod underneath my shirt and searching frantically for another exit. The only other way out was to push through the stone walls, but I couldn't do that on my own. Yanking out the Millennium item once more, I pointed it at the wall and closed my eyes. I could hear the armour from the guards rattling as they came down the stairs. This was my only chance.

As I pushed it forward, the stone wall cracked and began to fall apart. I hid the rod once more, not bothering to look behind as I quickly ran through the opening in the wall. It lead to another corridor, which I knew would lead me up to the world of the sun. I remember running as fast as I ever could that day, weaving through the other guards and up, up, up into the night.

I was free.

And I would get my revenge, even if it killed me.


	2. Jordan

**LIGHTS**

**Chapter Two - Jordan  
**

* * *

Escaping from Egypt was easy enough. I brought whatever I could carry with me, although being an outlaw meant that I couldn't just walk into a shop and buy a couple canteens of water and some food. I had to be swift. By disguising myself as a monk and only buying the bare necessities, I was able to slip right through the Pharaoh's hands and out into the open world. The desert was the biggest challenge. Staying alive and healthy in that kind of atmosphere was extraneously difficult. I can't quite remember the number of days it took me to finally reach Africa; all I do remember is the constant lack of water. There aren't many civilizations out in the barren desert, and even if there is, they're travelling in the opposite direction. So, I had to adapt. Trust me, if you can survive in the Egyptian deserts and sandstorms you can pretty much survive anywhere at that point. Regardless, I'm getting ahead of myself. Where was I? Ah, yes. Africa.

I made my first real stop in Jordan, where I managed to find a dirty little hostel. They didn't charge me much (considering it was a hostel, I didn't expect them to) and it was a roof over my head. I had burnt up pretty bad in the sun overlooking the deserts, so despite it still being warm at least it was shelter. I spent about a week there, resting and recouping for the long journey ahead. I still didn't know where I was going or where to start looking for that matter, so I still had a lot to do. I was a mere fifteen at this point, and despite the excitement of the outside world things were still a little overwhelming. I stuck mainly to the room I was given and spoke to no one. One night, however, I decided to do a little bit of sight-seeing. Since I had no valuables, I figured it would be perfectly safe. If anything did happen, I had the Millennium item. That was all I needed.

The night I decided to venture out was a bit cooler than usual. The minuscule breeze felt good as it brushed against my skin, reminding me of the cool Egyptian nights. My hair was tangled and dirty, still filled with dust and sand from the desert. Looking at my reflection in a run-down little house as I passed, I couldn't help but frown. My once pearly and well-kept looking complexion was burnt and filthy. Apparently, nobody had running water for a couple of miles in that part of Jordan. I continued on with my walk, pushing my appearance at the bottom of my priority list for the time being. It was obvious that I was an outsider, I got many questioning stares and a few people asking me where I had come from. It was fine, of course, but as I was continually stopped on my walk I grew more and more annoyed. I felt as if I had to be somewhere, like I was walking for a reason. All these interruptions were hindering my muse.

"_Find him_."

I blinked, stopping immediately and looking around. There was nobody around. I must have been incredibly fatigued; here I was, thinking I was hearing voices. The heat could do crazy things to you. As I sighed and continued walking on, I caught the faint scent of something cooking. Having ignored my hunger for the past couple of days, the scent of food drove my stomach insane. Not only had I suffered intense heat stoke, but my lack of nutrition probably didn't help my current state. I followed the scent, leading myself straight into the shiftiest looking alleyway I had ever seen. I waltzed through, my heart pounding just a bit faster as I walked blindly through the dark. I was starving. If anything, I could have used the rod to get what I wanted. I had to eat, I thought. I couldn't let myself starve.

A small light illuminated the path ahead. It was a fire-pit, with a few individuals surrounding it. I recognized the scent as soon as I walked over; fish. They were roasting a few of them over the fire, spinning them occasionally. I hid myself behind a drainpipe, pressing my back up tight against the wall and watching them from a distance. I reached up to grasp the rod from underneath my shirt, knowing that if I robbed these men I would have to make it quick. There was no telling who would show up.

"…and I also thought, well mate, why don't you just trade me your deck for my Dark Magician?"

"Did he believe you?"

"Bloody right he did! Told that bugga' he had just ripped himself off. Too funny, I tell you."

I blinked. What in the hell were they talking about? I winced, trying to get a better look at their faces. They definitely weren't African, they must have been travellers. They had backpacks of various shapes and sizes, and they definitely looked as if they didn't belong there. I lowered the rod a little, taking a slight interest in their conversation. Dark Magician…?

"But I tell you, Kaiba Corp has got that industry locked up tight. They've got a hold on all the rare cards." One of the fatter ones took a big bite from his fish, looking over to the very tall man. "There's a huge rumor goin' around that they've got the God cards."

"Not _the_ God cards, I take it?"

"That can't be true. I know they're in possession of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but the God cards are a myth. It's all a bunch of fake tales to keep those collectors looking-"

I stepped out from out of the alley, eyes blazing as I clenched my teeth. They turned to me, obviously shocked that someone had overheard them. I had those damn cards carved into _my_ skin, they were not fake. None of it was fake, none of it. "You're wrong! They're not fake, so shut your mouths!" They looked speechless as they looked upon me, drawn back a little at my uncanny appearance and sudden outburst. The tallest of them stood up, looking me over once before stepping forward. I automatically jumped back, my hand clenching the rod tightly.

"Where are you from, boy? Are you alright?" He had a burly looking beard and half-moon glasses; he looked too old to be travelling about. "And how do you know of the God cards?"

It was like magic. Everything seemed to click together. The walk, the scent of food, following it into the alley at just the right time… this was my way to the cards. These people had a potential lead; they spoke of rare cards and a corporation that held a fair amount of them. Could the God cards be among them? Was this the clue I had been looking for this whole time? "Where is… where is Kaiba Corporation? Where?"

"Well, Domino City of course."

"And where the bloody hell is that?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes and lowering my arm.

The man looked very curious. I was obviously making quite an impression. "In Japan. Domino City is in Japan. It's very far away from here."

"How do I get there?" I demanded.

"You would need a lot of money, young one, and a lot of time." He chuckled a little, picking up one of the sticks with the fish and gesturing it out towards me. "Don't worry yourself with that, lad. Come and have a bite to eat, you look hungry. We've got plenty."

I eyed them suspiciously. It had to be safe, at least for now. They didn't look like they were going to rob me anytime soon. Tucking the rod back under my shirt, I walked over and took a seat hesitantly beside them. The rest of the evening went along in silence, each of the men simply thinking as I engulfed the remainder of the food. As the night grew thin, they decided to head back to their lodgings. The oldest one gave me a few coins, mere pocket change, and left. Not soon after they did, I left the fire and quietly stalked behind them. I followed them for almost an hour and almost lost them at one point, but I managed to find them again. They were staying at some fancy hotel in the upper region, something these people could obviously afford. I hid outside the front in the brush as they made their way inside, slowly panicking to myself. That was my one connection to where I needed to be, how could I get there now? Domino City. Domino City. Domino City.

I pulled out the Millennium Rod, holding it in both my palms and focusing my thoughts. If only there were a way to get there…

"Marik." My eyes shot open as I heard the buzzing in my head once more. They were a jumble of words, both loud and made entirely up of static. "**_Control. Use. Find. Control._**"

Control…?

My eyes focused on the back of the man who had given me the petty change. He had a wallet full of money, but dumped out his wasted change onto me. I narrowed my eyes, closing my hands on the metal surface of the rod. I felt something pull at my stomach, like it was lurching out of control. In the blink of an eye, I was like a spirit flying through the night air and directly towards the body of the man. I could see both out of his eyes and my own, the images squishing together to form one fluid shape. I was using mind control for the first time, something I had vaguely been aware of before.

With the guidance of the rod, the words slipped through my lips like malice. "Bring all your money and your cards out to the bush outside, after your friends go to sleep. Tell no-one." It was if I was directing orders to the man and following them, I had full control of his movements and his mind. From the bush, I couldn't help but grin widely.

I had my lead.


	3. Making the Cut

**Authors Note**: Thank you guys for the support of the fic so far, I'm glad to know it's catching some attention. I love writing this kind of stuff, especially for Marik because I too agree that he's a character that's very under analyzed. Well, I'll stop squealing like a girl over you guys and your lovely comments and start writing! Again, thank you. C:

**Chapter Three**

_"Making the Cut"_

The world was a scary place. The people in it? Even more so. I had always been kept away from the outside world—I had never known much about it or anything at all, for that matter. Sure, on the outside I was brave and controlled myself to the utmost extent, but I did that mainly out of fear. After capturing the mind of the man who I had came across in the alleyway, I took his possessions and high-tailed it out of there. I had no idea as to whether or not he would know it was me. There was a fleeting panic about the moment as I dashed all the way back to that pathetic little hostel, wasting no time in seeing exactly what the man had handed over. I was in an almost insane state of shock, like the Pharaoh would show up at any moment and have me dragged back to Egypt. That wasn't possible, though. Nobody knew I was here, and I planned on keeping it that way.

As I made my way back up to the shabby little room I had rented, I fumbled around in my pocket for the key and jammed it into the lock. I opened it quickly and locked the dorm tight as I stepped in. The candle I had left on by my bedside was still burning, leaving a little bit of light to illuminate the room. With a heavy pant, I threw the stuff down I had taken from the man and carefully pulled out the Millennium Rod from under my shirt. This rod… what other hidden powers did it hold? Could I really control people at my own whim? It was a bit astonishing; I had heard of its powers, but never had I experienced them to such an extent before. Placing the rod down at the end of my bed, I surveyed the goods I had managed to take from the man. There was a huge wallet with money practically overflowing out of its pockets, a small leather bag that had a deck of Duel Monster cards inside, and a strange looking blue book. I picked it up, wary of it for only a moment before opening it. It was two tickets from Damascus, Africa to Australia that left in three days. The man must have been planning to head out of Africa starting tomorrow. The tickets were addressed in his name, there was no changing that.

"If I could… If I could get to Damascus, I could go to the airport…" I trailed off, finding myself pacing back and forth as I tried to think up a plan. Where was Australia, even? Was it close to Japan? And what the hell was I supposed to do when I got there? "Goddamn…" My thoughts took a sharp turn as I glanced over at the bag containing the cards. Duel Monsters, they were called. Upon further inspection, I came to the conclusion that these cards were the ones that the Gods were embodied in. From what I was able to gather, there were two basic parts to each card: attack and defense points. Other than that, I was completely lost. I flipped through them for a couple minutes more, placing certain cards down on the bed beside me and sorting out which ones were powerful. At that point, I knew nothing about strategy—I just wanted the ones with the big numbers. As I finished looking through, I found myself staring up at the ceiling; somehow, feeling completely hopeless. What could I do? There was nothing—I thought I had a lead, but now where had it gotten me? What was I even going after…?

"The cards, Marik." I mumbled, "And the items. For your father. For your sister." Raising myself from the bed, I walked over to the small mirror positioned at the far end of the room and stared at my reflection. "You didn't come this far for nothing, you can do this. It's a matter of time; planning and time. You have to figure out the secrets to the Millennium Rod; you have to plan each step accordingly." I trailed off, realizing that I had been talking to myself like a bit of a madman. I scowled a little at my reflection, upset with what I saw. God, I needed a bath.

Then it hit me.

"I could… _go_ to the airport and control the people into getting me a ticket for Japan, wherever that is. Maybe somewhere even remotely near there." I looked back at the wallet filled with money, feeling myself smirk just an inch. "Why didn't I think of that before?" I rushed into the washroom, feeling a sudden boost in my morale. I could do this. I could. There was a pail near the edge of the rotting old washroom that caught rain-water; something considered quite a luxury in these dry times. I picked it up, wincing at the smell of it. It had to have been stagnant for over two months now. Still, I wouldn't let the repugnant odor ruin my mood. I brought the bucket out into the main room, placing it on the floor and kneeling down beside it. Slowly, I pulled together all my hair and dunked it into the water. Scrubbing out the caked in dirt and dust was hard enough—I also had to keep my balance so not to tumble over and knock out all the water. After twenty minutes or so, I had finally cleaned out the most of it (or the best it was going to get) and shook my head around a while to dry it off. I brought myself back up to the mirror, a bit relieved to see my original color coming through once more. It had grown long in the time I had been gone, though. Ishizu was always the one to cut my hair, but it seemed like now I had to do it on my own. I rummaged around the room for a while before finding a sharp piece of metal that was clean enough to cut through.

"Just don't cut yourself." I mumbled, pulling the metal up and holding a chunk of hair in my hand as I began to cut through. Strands of grayish hair fell to the floor, collecting in various groups around my feet. By the time I was done, my hair was incredibly choppy and uneven, but at least it was cut and clean.

I couldn't help but smile at the outcome (even though my face was still dirty as hell,) and feel a bit better about the next part of my plan. With that money I had stolen, tomorrow was definitely a clean up, get out of this disgusting hostel day. I just had to make it to Damascus alive.

Make it to Damascus.

Damascus.

* * *

The next day, I made my way into the upper region in order to find myself some new clothes and food. There were markets all over the area, so all I had to do was pick and choose. I was still in traditional Egyptian wear; it just didn't seem right for what I was trying to do. Once I found a place with actual running water, I washed my face up quickly and made my way out to buy some new clothes. It didn't take long; I stumbled upon this neat little clothing stall run by an older looking woman. As soon as I walked in, she stood up quite abruptly.

"Perfect thing for you. Perfect thing." Were the only words I could decipher from her deep and toned accent. I watched her run around the stall, gathering a few things. I waited quite patiently, surprisingly enough. Finally she came back with a handful of clothes—a short purple shirt, some long black pants and black shoes. As she shoved them into my hands, she pulled out a handful of golden chains and a pin. "Put clothes on."

I flushed. "R-Right now?"

"Put clothes _on._"

I felt incredibly awkward—she was staring at me, demanding me that I took off my clothes. Well, I didn't think she was planning on… ah, whatever. She was like sixty-five, I wasn't too worried about her _grabbing_ me or anything; I was more worried about that tattoo. I faced my chest towards her, trying to make sure she couldn't see my back as I quickly pulled off my torn robes and put on the fresh fabric. I felt as light as a feather. I had never seen clothes like this, let alone worn them. Without warning, she grabbed onto my shirt and yanked me forward.

"Ouch!"

"Still. Stay." She mumbled, shoving a pin into the front of the shirt and beginning to work away. Within minutes, there were two golden chains sown across the front of my shirt—small, but they added a little extra to the overall appearance. She rushed into the back again, rummaging through various boxes until she came back with a handful of golden rings that snapped on and off.

"Three for neck. Five for arms. One for muscle." I didn't need to do any work, it seemed. She just started putting them all on me, making me twitch just the tiniest bit but I tried not to pay any mind to it. By the time she was done, I felt… refreshed. I walked over to a broken mirror, looking myself over a little. It did seem to suit me, and they even matched my earrings. Making my way back over to my old clothes, I pulled out the stolen wallet and my Millennium Rod to give her the money. After a quick exchange of thank-you's, I was gone.

That was the first and last time I paid for anything. But hey, she deserved it.

I walked down the street now, completely determined. I was going to get to that damn airport, no matter what it took. I felt lighter, the world felt a bit clearer, and I had an ancient power ready and able at my side. There was a sort of unstoppable nature about it all, something that made me feel quite empowered. So, as I made my way down the street, I couldn't help but feel like things were starting to go my way.

For now.


	4. City of Jasmine

**Authors Note:** I was so inspired for this chapter, so forgive me if it's a bit lengthy! Thank you to The Duelist's Heiress for the wonderful reviews and opting to feature me in her monthly recommendations, it truly means a lot! Just a quick note before we get into this chapter, there is a section where Marik encounters an English-speaking merchant. I tried to illustrate the language barrier as much as I can, so I hope it doesn't confuse you too much. Yes, Marik will learn English and Japanese later on, but it will still be represented in English for you lovely readers.

Also, if anybody is interested in what Marik is saying, I will add them in a footnote at the end of the chapter. Anyhow, I shall stop rambling! Read on!

**Chapter Four**

The City Of Jasmine

* * *

I was young.

"_Marik, we must go. We cannot dwell here any longer_." The worry in Ishizu's eyes was somewhat concerning; weren't we safe? Hadn't Odion covered for our absence? I argued with her with a child's innocence, still taking in the world around me. Why did I have to be ripped apart from it so soon? Why?

I didn't know any better.

I still don't.

Damascus was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. It was the first true city I had seen; thousands of people wandered the streets in search of food and entertainment. I had arrived there easy enough. All I had to do was control the mind of a local stable boy with a horse and kart. Of course, that _poor _fellow had no idea where he was once I broke him of his trance. I didn't care to tell him, either. I was too pre-occupied with the city around me. Everywhere you walked there was a bounty of splendors; I saw animals, pots and pans, pottery of all shapes and sizes… there was absolutely no limit to what you could find. I spent hours wandering those streets, simply looking at everything. I didn't want any of it, all I wanted was the satisfaction in knowing that I could see it.

It existed outside my tomb, and so did I.

"Looking for anything in particular?" I was standing outside of a foreign merchant stand after spending a night in a nearby hotel. By '_foreign_' merchant, I mean someone who came from another part of the world. I knew nothing of the world and the geography, I knew only of Egypt and my future destination. He had very white skin with a thick, curdling accent that had an underlying persuasiveness about it. Knowing the world much better know, I can tell you that he was an American man with a disgustingly large beard. At the time, I had only one thing on my mind. Now, not that going to Domino City to find the cards wasn't my first priority… but I had one desire that I was absolutely sure of.

"هل لديك أي كتب عن الدراجات النارية؟…" At the time, I only spoke in my native tongue. You see, I had spoken in many different variations of my own language before… but nothing like this. It was easier in Africa, where the language barrier was not so different. It was terribly confusing. He gave me a curious look, raising a brow and crossing his large arms along his chest. "Listen, kid. I don't speak any of that heebie-jeebie nonsense, so if you can't tell me what you _want_ then you'll have to get out."

I had no idea what he was saying, but by the look on his face he obviously wasn't pleased. I panicked a bit, glancing around the store until I saw a rack of books that looked much like those I had seen in the market with Ishizu. I marched over, searching through them until I found one with exactly the image I wanted. I held it up, pointing at the front. There was an ever-so-obvious grin on my face as I did so.

"Oh, a motorcycle?"

"نعم" I paused, knowing that speaking that way would get me nowhere. "Mo…**tor**. Motorsiekle."

He laughed, walking over to me and taking the magazine from my hands. "Well, I don't have any motorcycles here. But I do have something you might like." As he turned to walk back, I snatched the magazine from his hands once more and clenched it tightly to my chest. He wasn't going to take it away from me, who did he think he was! Still, he paid no mind to it as he went into the back and rummaged around in some boxes. Finally, he came back out- a miniature motorcycle in his hands. My eyes light up like the first time I had seen the light of day; there it was, the vehicle I had seen in the video and in the magazine. Only, it was a lot smaller than I expected it to be. Gently, I took it from his hands and examined it. How was I supposed to get on this thing? He looked back at me and put out a hand. "That'll be twenty bucks for both, kid."

Wearily, I looked at his outstretched hand and then back at him. He was ruining my moment. I may have had a disadvantage with the language barrier, but I could understand that he was asking me to 'pony up the cash' as some would say. Pretending to reach into my pocket to pull out some money, my hand accidentally slipped over the Millennium Rod and I pulled that out instead.

_Oops._

I raised it at him, feeling the instant connection between our bodies and the familiar rush of spiritual energy. "You will let me take both of them." I spoke slowly, delighting myself in the sight of his eyes glazing over. I was in control. Taking a few steps backwards, I left the stall and tucked the rod into the back of my pants. The motorcycle felt light in my hands as I walked down the street and examined it thoroughly. The man in the video had been riding one, and the people in the magazine were on them too. Was there a button I was supposed to press to make it mobile? With my thoughts still centered around the motorcycle, I made my way back to the hotel I had situated myself in. The concierge (whom I was still controlling) greeted me with passivity as I walked through the main entrance.

At the time, it was quite puzzling. I knew there had to be another way to get a larger motorcycle, but how? Those thoughts alone circled my head as I made my way back up to my room, ready to get a full nights sleep in order to tackle the problem of the airport the following day.

* * *

I was dancing. It was late in the evening, and the world around me was a mix of green and blue. The ground and the sky merged together, dancing along as my sister played a song on the harp. I was laughing and free. Suddenly, she struck the wrong chord. As if all at once, the world turned red. The music stopped, and no longer was the ground dancing beneath my feet. I looked around, scared and alone. Ishizu had disappeared, I could see her nowhere. A fire started before me, crackling and spitting ash. In the fire, I saw nothing but red.

**Blood.**

"**_Are you really going to go through with this?_**" There was a man, no, a boy… a flash of white, and there was blood. So much blood. The fire was gurgling as if it were trying to spit it out. "**_You are a boy. YOU ARE JUST A BOY, YOU ARE NOT A MAN. YOU WILL NEVER BE A MAN._**" As I recoiled, the fire threw itself around me. All I felt was burning. I was dying.

* * *

Waking up to the cold sweat of a nightmare isn't something I think anybody delights in. My instant scream filled the room, reverberating off the walls and reaching my own ears just as quickly as it had left my lips. I threw my blankets off, sweating and heaving uncontrollably. The world was spinning around me and everything was practically turning upside down. I thrust myself over the bed, whacking my head off the nightstand and convulsing profusely onto the floor. Tears filled my eyes as I felt the stomach acid burning my throat. Great, just great. I had nightmares before, but never one that had made me sick. I lifted my face out of the vomit, slowly wiping it off the surface of my cheeks as I tried to keep myself from shaking. A struggled sob spit forth from my lips as I stumbled to my feet and attempted to regain my balance. My stomach jerked, and I keeled forward once more to throw up all over my legs. Even better.

I tried to settle myself, but I knew there would be no rest. As quickly as I could, I stumbled over to the washroom and thrust myself inside to collide with the opposite wall. I fumbled around with the faucet to the shower until it began spraying into the tub. My hands, covered in my dinner, pushed the curtain back so that I could fall into the tub. The running water felt cool against my skin; I was safe. No fire could touch me, there was no burning. Only water. I rested my head against the back of the tiled wall, and only when I hiccupped did I realize that I had been crying the entire time. I let out a cry, the first I had allowed myself to, and pushed my face into the palms of my hands. I couldn't do this. I was at war with myself, no matter what I did. One moment I would question the journey, and the next I was sure it was right. What the hell was I doing? Did I even know?

My fatigue overcame me as I lay there, soaking in the water. It was my only consolation. Before I knew it, I felt my eyelids drooping as the sweet embrace of sleep enveloped me once more. When I awoke, I was in my bed. The morning light shone through the light curtains beside my bed, illuminating my room quite nicely. I rubbed at my eyes, slowly pushing myself upright. My head was throbbing, no doubt from when I had hit it during my little escapade. Speaking of which, I thought, how did I end up in my bed? I looked around slowly, noticing that there was no longer vomit on the floor. I was also in a fresh set of clothes. My Millennium Rod remained on the far table, untouched. Had I done it? Perhaps I had a concussion afterwards.

"Marik."

My head snapped up, searching desperately for the voice. "Who's there?" I called out, my eyes finally resting on the far side of the room. A figure stood near the door, cloaked in a flowing black cape. I recognized both the voice and the cloak instantly.

"O…Odion…"

I dared not to stop the tears this time as they collected in my eyes, the mere sight of him lifting a huge weight off my heart. I saw him smile then, his eyes just as misted as mine. I sprang from my bed and dashed over to him, capturing him in my arms. He was there, he was really there. "Marik, I… I'm so sorry, Marik."

"You're here, I can't believe… how d-did you find me?" I sniffled, wiping at my eyes and looking up to him.

Gently, he pulled himself away from me and lead me back over to my bed. "I was a day behind you, but you leave an easy trail to follow. You are quite careless in concealing yourself, you know." I sat down, wrapping myself in the cool sheets and looking up to him with a smile. "I wasn't going to intervene; I knew of your intentions as soon as I followed you to Damascus, but… I just felt as if something was not right." He mumbled, sitting not too far away from me and reaching out to hold my hand. "Marik, you must give this up. You must come home. There is-"

"I've seen the most wonderful things, Odion." I mumbled, staring down at my hand in his. "Brother, I've seen and felt so much that I can't even begin to describe it. Even the bad stuff, the pain, it's…" I narrowed my eyes, the rage beginning to bubble deep within my heart. "It's worth it. I don't care for the tomb any longer, and I won't go back. I must take my vengeance on the Pharaoh, one way or another."

Odion had always been one to support me. Seeing me in this state, I suppose it struck a note within his own heart. He obeyed me and listened to me through everything, despite even the smallest of retorts from my father. Unbeknownst to me, he knew the truth. Still, he knew the truth would kill me. With him there, I was safe. He needn't worry about… well.

"I will support you in every way I can." He finally spoke, looking to me with determination in his eyes. "I will obey you, Marik."

* * *

_Translation #1: Do you have any motorcycles?_  
_Translation #2: Yes!_


	5. Rush

**Authors Note**: I'm so sorry for the late update, I've been having some very crazy family issues and being back in University has left me worn out. Please forgive me! I'm back now though, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. The details of Marik's 'encounter' with the people in the alley will come in later chapters, I promise. Also, if you don't notice right away, I switch to Odion's point of view near the very end. I won't be doing this too often, only when it's required! Anyhow, read on, and hope everyone had an awesome holiday season.

Chapter Five - Lights

**Rush**

I remember the first time I ever felt the rain. I had been in a bath, a shower, but never rain. It was fresh. To this day, I cannot accurately describe the smell or the feeling. It was the morning Odion came to me; we ventured outside, intent on going to the airport. As we entered the lobby to the hotel, I could automatically feel that something was different. There was a light pattering on the roof, like the sound of tiny rocks falling from the sky. Instinctively, I grabbed onto Odion's cloak and continued to walk alongside him. He simply looked down at me and smiled, his calm demeanour settling my nerves if only a little. The concierge opened the door and allowed us to step outside. I hung back at first, unsure of what was actually happening. Odion turned to me, offering his hand and nodding. "It's alright, Marik. It's only rain." I looked up at him and then his hand once more, still wary. Nevertheless, I took his hand and followed him outside. I lingered underneath the sheltered canopy, merely peeking out to gaze at the darkened sky and the water that fell from it. With a smile, Odion grasped my shoulders and gently nudged me out into the rain. I stumbled over my own feet and automatically tried to run back under, but Odion refused to let me.

"Marik," He steadied me as I struggled in his grasp, trying to get back under. "It's just rain. It's water, you see? Nothing is happening. It is a regular occurrence in many places." He paused, continuing to hold me there as my hair was slowly becoming damp. "It is how the trees live, how the plants live, and how the world continues to live with us." I stopped struggling and looked up at him, realizing now that there had been no pain from the water. It was just like a bath, except lighter. Slowly, I pulled myself away from Odion and stepped out further into the rain. It was soothing as it touched my skin, the slight breeze that came with it seemed to comfort me. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, relaxing myself as I did so.

Looking back on it now, I see the rain doing one thing and one thing only. At the time, it was just rain. It came over me as a new feeling, something I couldn't rightfully describe. Years later, I realize that it symbolized something.

That day, I was washing away the last of my innocence.

As we arrived to the Damascus Airport, I was amazed to actually see what an _airport _was. Odion tried to explain it to me on the way; he was taught in many things over his lifetime and he was far wiser than I. An 'airport' was where large planes came, picked people up and flew them across the world. However, as we arrived, I saw much more than just airplanes. There was an intense amount of security and people mulling about, and a whole bunch of procedures you had to go through in order to get to your plane. I walked through front doors with Odion, sceptical of all the hustle and bustle around me.

"Marik, what do you want to do now?" Odion asked me, glancing over as I stared anxiously at the check-in. I didn't really have a plan, this was all I had figured out.

"…I plan on using the power of the Millennium Rod. We haven't the money or the required identification." I paused, trying to think it through. "It shouldn't be too difficult."

"You must control all of the check-in staff so there is no speculation. Then, all of the security. After that, you must be cautious… for there are still dangers ahead." I looked to Odion, smiling a little and nudging him lightly.

"You must have thought this through rather well, Odion." I was thoroughly impressed. He must have planned for this far more than I have. I took in a deep breath, pushing my fears aside if only for a moment. I had the ultimate power; the rod would provide me with all the safety and reassurance I needed. I looked around for a moment more before putting a hand to Odion's arm. "Follow my lead as best as you can, Odion." I mumbled, finally walking forward and whipping out the Millennium Rod from my coat. Much like Odion, I had a simple black coat on with black dress pants. It was nothing special, but we wanted to look a little less awkward and more like tourists. I had never controlled multiple people at once, and as I walked up to the check-in station I quickly began to doubt my abilities.

_I can't do this,_ I thought. _I can't! I can barely control one person, how am I supposed to control twenty or thirty? _

_**You can. **_There it was again, that buzzing. This time it was louder and much easier to understand. _**You must believe in the rod and the powers it holds. You **__**must**__**. The rod is capable of controlling many, many people. You must believe that it can do so, Marik. **_

I closed my eyes as I approached the front, and focused all my thoughts and concentration into the rod. I felt myself flying up in the air, almost like a spirit, looking down on the entirety of the staff. My physical body pushed the rod forward and the spirit flew into each of the workers. I opened my eyes and through them, saw twenty different perspectives. Still, the clearest was my own. I could go into each of their heads or speak to them as a whole, it didn't matter.

"You will all disregard the fact that Odion and I have no passport, information, or money. You will aid us as best as you can in our attempt to get to Domino City, but still address your regular customers as you would in any other situation."

For the first time, I received a quiet yet controlled response.

_Yes, Master Marik._

I found myself smirking, finding something thrilling about the fact that I was their 'master'. I looked to the girl in front of us and leaned onto the counter, watching her type. "Mr. Ishtar, I regret to say that there are no direct flights from here to Japan. The fastest route would be to take a plane into Dubai, and then a transfer flight to Japan. It is scheduled to leave in two days." I furrowed my brow, a strange anger bubbling in the pit of my stomach. I had got this far, why couldn't things just be easy now? It was okay, though. It was only one flight and then we would be in Japan. I looked over to Odion, who looked almost as disappointed as I did.

"We'll take those ones, then." I mumbled, drumming my fingers on the counter. "And hurry up."

* * *

On the way back from the airport, I was absolutely furious. The days were growing thinner and thinner and frankly I was just sick and tired of waiting. I wanted to get to Domino City as soon as possible. It wasn't like I was rushing to beat anybody, but I couldn't put off my revenge any longer. Odion could feel my distress as I lingered behind him, walking down the street towards the hotel. I wanted to do something, I had to do something. Finally, Odion stopped and turned to me. "Marik, are you alright?"

I didn't know what to say. Sure, Odion had found me, but that didn't mean everything was going to be alright. I needed to know more about the God Cards and the game itself; I had played with Ishizu when I was younger, but I was nowhere near the level I needed to be. I could feel it. Also, how could I be sure that I would find the Millennium Items in this Domino City? How could I locate the rest?

"How am I going to _do_ this?" I asked, staring at the ground in deep thought. "How can I _do_ this?"

He rested a hand on my shoulder and smiled, trying his best to comfort me. "We will have to work on collecting more information, Marik. There is no easy way to do this." I wasn't sure that was entirely true. There had to be a way to go about it all. I glanced to the side, hearing the faint sound of laughter off in the distance. I peered down an alleyway, my eyes scanning for the source of the laughter. A bunch of people were crowded around what appeared to be a table, while two people sat across from one another. My eyes widened as I realized what it was. Were those the Duel Monster cards? Perhaps they knew something of the God Cards, or at least some useful information. Odion glanced to me then and then to the individuals in the alley.

"You don't plan on talking to them, do you?" There was a weary tone to his voice as he spoke. "They don't look like they'd be willing to talk to you all too willingly. I assume they are not the best of citizens…" I didn't understand what he was talking about. They looked very normal to me. I looked around the area they inhabited, and slowly came to realize as to what he meant. They looked very… rundown. They must have been homeless, I'm not too sure. Regardless, they didn't look like they went and bought those cards. A wave of courage swept over me then, my hand automatically reaching to the Millennium Rod in my pocket.

"I want you to go back to the hotel, Odion."

He blinked. "Why? I must come with you, Marik! They are not-"

"I _demand_ that you go back." My eyes darkened as I turned to him. My childlike demeanour had vanished, I was serious. I would pry information out of them, whatever it took. They may not have known anything about the God Cards, but they could know _something._ Whether it was my desperate craving for knowledge or stubborn determination, I clenched the rod tightly in my fist and proceeded to raise my voice.

"**Odion, **go back."

He looked at me then, his eyes filled with both confusion and worry. If he had lingered a moment longer, perhaps I would have let him come. However, fate had another idea. He bowed to me and turned quickly on his heel, heading back down the main stretch towards the hotel. I let out a soft sigh, staring at his back for only a moment before directing my attention back towards the people in the alley.

I should have let him come with me.

* * *

Three hours. Four hours. Five hours. I was growing anxious as my brother failed to return back to the hotel. I could understand that he wanted to attempt finding a way to Domino City on his own; it was important to him, thus it was important to myself. So I waited for many more hours: six, seven, eight… still, there was no sign of him. I promised myself that I wouldn't leave or try to find him, I wanted to respect his independence. But as time went on, I knew I should have stayed at his side. I should have followed him. Marik's safety was far too important to me to risk.

I was sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from the bed when suddenly the door opened. It was slow at first; the creaking woke me from my train of thought and made me jolt up from my chair. I rushed over almost immediately, grabbing the handle and gently pulling it open. Marik's hand was still attached to the other end of the knob, his entire frame hung over. Wearily, I stood there not knowing what to do. His arms and clothes were soaked with crimson, dripping from his arms and collecting in a pool on the floor. I thought he was injured, I thought he had been attacked. Slowly, I began to put the pieces together.

That wasn't _his blood._

"Marik… are you alright?" I could hear the shiver in my own voice as I reached out and grabbed his chin, tipping his face up so that I could see his eyes. They were as void and as dark as they had once been during that time in the tomb; except there was no smile, there was no benevolent look in his eyes. His darker side had not been brought forth, but the look in his eyes was absolutely tormenting. He looked so numb. I watched as his lips parted slowly to speak, but no words came forth. There was a thick layer of dirt and blood caked across his face and I raised my other hand to brush some from the surface of his cheeks. "Come on Marik, let's get you inside." My heart was burning in my chest as I gently pulled him inside and shut the door; supporting his weight with my right side and bringing him into the washroom.

"Dead… all of them, dead…" Marik breathed as I sat him down gently on the toilet seat and kneeled down before him, brushing a stand of hair from his face. "They... They tried to take the rod. I taught them a lesson. I showed them. Hah, I showed them." This was my fault. I knew it was a terrible idea, but I listened to his ridiculous request. Ever since I was young, I promised myself I would protect him always and I failed. Not knowing how to express the words in my heart, I simply pulled him closer and kissed him gently on the forehead. I fought the tears that threatened to fill in my eyes as I pulled away and began pulling off his cloak. The smell of copper was absolutely disgusting, I hated it. I hated it on Marik. As I pulled off his shirt, I took the blood-soaked Millennium Rod from under it and placed it up on the counter.

"_Odion_."

I blinked, looking over to him. "Marik? Are you alright?"

"I… I…" He was trying to speak, but suddenly his body began convulsing. I grasped his shoulders, holding him steady and swiftly lifting him up. I kicked the door to the bathroom open and made my way over to his bed, placing him on his side and holding him down tightly. It was a seizure.

"Marik, speak to me."

He wasn't responding.

"Marik. Please."

Nothing.

"Marik! Marik, come on, please." I begged. There was a slight moan in his throat, his eyes still blank as they looked forward at nothing. I had to wait through it, there was nothing else I could do. It was a little over ten minutes before Marik finally ceased his violent shaking, his body simply twitching ever-so-slightly from time to time until it was finally done. I still sat by his side, watching him carefully until he opened his eyes and looked to me. Void. They were void, empty. I lifted him up to take back to the washroom once more, ready to wash him up and then take him back to bed. Whatever he had been through, I would never ask of it. I would never pry unless he asked me to.

He was never the same again.


	6. Shut Down

**My dear readers,**

**I'm aliveeee. ouo ;;  
To those of you who messaged me for updates, I'm so terribly sorry. Things have been more than rough on my end, and I have just not had the time for updating anything. Ever. I feel terrible for leaving you all hanging on such short notice, but I'm back on track and can't wait to keep going with this story. I know this chapter is shorter than most, but I really want to get moving to Dubai_!  
_**

** Great to be back, and enjoy!  
Comicker  
**

**LIGHTS - **Chapter Six

"Shut Down"_  
_

_Mommy loves you, Marik._

_Mommy will always love you._

_I need you to breathe, Marik. Fill your lungs with air. Take in the life around you - it is pure, is it not?_

_Life is wonderful. _

_You have so much more to live, my child, keep breathing._

…

Have you ever had those mornings where you wake up and for five glorious seconds, everything is okay? No matter what happened, regardless of the pain you had felt before falling asleep, for that brief instant it is gone?

I knew it too well by now.

The sunlight pouring in through the crack in the curtain flooded the room with warmth. I squinted, pushing myself up from the bed and raised a hand to rub sleepily at my eyes. A few seconds passed as I just sat there, taking in a deep and concentrated breath. I was still half-asleep at that point, trying to process exactly why I felt so terribly heavy and disgustingly sick.

Then I remembered.

I leaned over the side of the bed quickly, barely trying to hold back the gurgling in my throat. It took a moment, but I finally embraced the fact that I was about to be incredibly sick all over the nice, clean carpet. I tensed then, gripping tightly at the sheets that covered my bed as I released the disgusting bile that had collected in my throat. Puking was not at all how I had imagined myself waking up that morning. After my body had finally relaxed once more, I wiped off my mouth slowly with my forearm. A part of me recoiled; there was nothing pleasant about having to vomit - _especially_ when there was a significant amount.

Leaning slowly back into my bed, I looked down at my now exposed torso. Patches of purple and blue blossomed across my skin like delicate little flowers, dancing along in an almost rhythmic pattern. Curiously, I reached down and grazed the surface of the bruises lightly. I flinched at my own touch, realizing then that I had hurt myself far worse than I had imagined.

_Magnificent._

"…Marik." I looked up to see Odion standing in the doorway, his voice soft and full of concern. He was holding a fresh set of clothes and some food, which seemed to repulse my already upset stomach. Quickly, I looked away and back out the opening in the window. Yes… I remembered the ordeal from the previous night, but I failed to recall exactly how I got back - or what happened when I had.

The previous night…

"Are you feeling okay?" He mumbled, placing the clothes and food down on the opposite bed.

"Fine." I mumbled, lost in my own thoughts. This seemed to concern him more as he stepped toward me, sitting down on the edge of my bed and furrowing his brow deeply. I took in a deep breath then, enjoying the soft breeze that brushed lightly against my face.

"…What the hell happened last night?" Odion wasn't one to swear too often, so when this rather profane curse (considered to be such back home, anyways) slipped out, I couldn't help but wonder myself. Had I come back alone? Had I said anything? The last thing I remembered was taking a swing at one of the older men from that strange group, but then… nothing. As if on cue, I heard a dark chuckle echo in the back of my head. Whatever it was, it was lurking deep within - mocking me, taunting me, eating away… how could it live in that nothingness? How could it breathe like that?

"…Marik. Talk to me." My attention snapped back towards Odion, who was looking back at me with honest and desperate concern.

"What?"

"I don't understand-"

"What don't you understand?"

"You came back covered in _blood,_ Marik - and then you had a seizure, a massive one at that. What happened to you? Did you get into a really bad fight?"

_**Tell him you killed them.**_

_No, _I thought. _Why would I tell him that? It didn't even happen, I was just in a fight-_

_**Oho… is that what you think, boy? **_

And then the voice, the darkness lurking deep inside, showed me exactly that. Like an instant replay buried deep within my brain, almost instantaneously, I was watching exactly what I had done. My fingers twitched lightly as I remained silent on the outside, my eyes glazing over with - what was it, exactly? I have troubles explaining it still…

It was complete numbness.

A void.

My emotions had shut down as I watched, without fear or lack of understanding, my own hands taking the lives of many innocent men - aided by the rod and my dear, dark friend. He had been speaking to me all this time through the rod, guiding me through its uses and proper methods for just the right time to strike. I could feel its blood-lust becoming my own as I recanted in the memory; I could taste the joy that it felt as each stroke, to my darkness, seemed like a work of art.

And just like that, the memory vanished.

_**Now, boy, what will you say?**_

_**Think carefully…**_

I looked up to Odion, and smiled.

"Yeah, we fought a bit - one of them knocked me over the head. I got a few good punches in before running away. Must have been a concussion." I paused, the lies tasting like poison on my tongue. Never had I once lied to Odion; my brother, my best friend, my protector. "Don't worry, I'm feeling better now though."

"…Are you sure?"

I smiled again.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Odion." There was genuine remorse in my voice as I spoke softly then, reaching out a hand and taking it in my own. If he knew, there was no way he would let me continue. He would question me further about the rod, the darkness, the purpose… but he didn't understand. I needed the rod's guidance to bring me to my revenge, to power and to ultimate glorification. Of course, these ideas had not been instilled in me just yet - I was still a boy, searching for meaning and purpose behind the supposed death of my sister and my father. I had no idea things would progress so quickly.

I also had no idea that the darkness was spreading.

It was gaining control.

I was beginning to obey the rod.


	7. Hello, My Friend

**Quick Authors Note: Love you guys. oAo '' Inspiration struck me on a train, so I wrote this up on my BlackBerry. It was intense. I was totally in the zone. Right, quick note. I forgot. Here's a new chapter, rather lengthy - and introduces one of my favourite characters planned in this series: Charles Longstead. Enjoy c:**

_prolouge pt. 1 _

I never said I was perfect.

Wait, have I ever said that?

No, probably not. But at this point, you're probably thinking I have a pretty high opinion of myself. Well, guess again!

I don't.

However, I learned plenty of things during my travels across the globe (many of which are still to be conveyed) but I think the most important of those invaluable lessons is this:

Never underestimate the kinds of people that work airport security.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, aren't I? Let's backtrack a bit.

* * *

**LIGHTS** - Chapter Seven

"Flawed"

The day had finally arrived. In two hours, we were scheduled to leave from Damascus, Africa and arrive in Dubai, India. Regardless of the events that lead up to this day, I was in high spirits. After all, I had worked and pushed myself up until this point - why wouldn't I be excited? I firmly believed that, by the wrongdoing of the Pharaoh's ancient guardians, my family had been murdered out of spite. The Ishtar's had guarded and kept the tomb of the Pharaoh safe from the rest of the world - we had been the eternal guardians. I was still confused as to the Pharaoh's motives behind the execution of my most beloved sister, and my less beloved father... but the only thought that occupied my otherwise empty mind was revenge. I was going to Domino City in Japan to unearth the secrets behind the legendary Egyptian Gods, their link to my ancestral past and a way to acquire them all.

Wasn't that excitement enough for a thirteen year old boy?

Still, as we walked into the airport for the second time, I couldn't help but feel exhilarated. The outside world was still quite foreign to me, especially the concept of technology. I had only a vague concept of how an 'aeroplane' worked and how it would possibly get me across continents to my destination. All around us, computers beeped and hummed with activity - people filtered in and out through various gateways, carrying bags of all shapes and sizes. My eyes lit up for the first time in days as Odion and I walked slowly through the crowd, carrying only small bags with the essentials. He figured we could just pick up more clothing and food in Dubai. He knew so much more about the outside world, so I put my faith into him. The previous day, he had set out to acquire a "passport" for the both of us in order to board the plane. I had suggested using the powers of the rod in order to simply gain entrance, but he simply smiled. 'I just want one, normal experience with my little brother before we dive into this head-first. Keep the Millennium Item hidden in your luggage, I'll tear a hole in the bottom for an extra compartment.'

Little did we both know, this part of our journey would be far from normal.

We walked through various metal detectors and talked with many people at different booths; well, Odion mainly spoke as I stood silently behind. The people working the booths looked at us curiously, and I couldn't even begin to understand why. What was so abnormal about a young boy traveling with his older brother?

"Passports and tickets, please." This gate was far more official looking. I watched curiously as Odion pulled our paperwork and slid it into a hole made through the glass that separated the man from us. The man looked down at me, almost as if he was trying to see through me. I managed a weak smile, prompting no response from the man.

"What's your name, young boy?"

"Marik Ishtar." I replied coolly, pointing at the papers Odion had just handed him. "Says right there."

"Where are you going?" He spoke roughly.

"Dubai."

"And then where?"

"Domino City, Japan."

"And why is that exactly?"

I looked over to Odion. "My brother promised me he'd take me to see the Duel Monster tournaments. I've always wanted to see them." The admiration in my fake tone and the simplicity of my were convincing - he smiled a little. "Is that so..." He mumbled, looking back to the papers and stamping them lightly with a black piece of rubber. "Alright, you're free to go. Make your way to Gate AC."

As we took our papers and left, I watched him from the corner of my eye. It would have been so easy just to control him - then again, these people seemed easily controlled by convincing smiles and casual words. Humans really were simple creatures.

"Fools," I mumbled to Odion, who merely chuckled.

* * *

"Welcome aboard International Airlines! We're so happy to have you. Please make sure your luggage is safely placed in the overhead compartment and your seat belts remain on throughout the duration of our trip."

I had no idea that airplanes were giant, white birds.

After getting situated beside a very small window, I looked around at all the people who were boarding the 'plane' - or as I called it after seeing it - the "great white bird." Every time I said it, Odion seemed to smile. It was if my childish innocence was still endearing. He loved hearing me say silly things; still coming to grasp the outside world and all the wonders.

"Marik, were lifting off soon. Is your seat-belt on?" Odion was sitting beside me, still arranging himself comfortably. He was a little big for the seats, but they had accommodated us rather obligingly.

"Yeah, I think I got it on right." I mumbled, checking to see it was in. "So does this thing drive for a while?"

He chuckled again, "Drive? What do you mean?"

As I opened my mouth to speak, the bird jerked a little. We started moving very slowly down a large strip of pavement, circling around once before stopping at the end of an even longer strip.

I looked out the window at the control tower, thinking how slow of a ride it would be.

Then we sped forward. It was a very quick acceleration; one moment we were speeding down the runway, then the next...

"We're flying!" I exclaimed as the plane gently lifted off the ground and into the air. "D-do you see this, Odion? Are you looking outside? Look, there's the ground!" My faced was pressed up against the glass as I grabbed eagerly at the frame. It was incredible. "Odion, I told you it was a giant bird. We're flying just like other birds. Hey, Odion..." I finally looked over to him after hearing him break out into a fit of laughter. I hadn't heard him laugh like that... well, ever.

He was crying, too.

"Hey... you okay?" I mumbled, settling back in my seat and putting a hand on his arm. "Do you need anything?"

He wiped at his eyes, still laughing and reached out to take my hand. "I'm f-f-fine... fine, Marik!" Odion beamed, squeezing my hand lightly. "You enjoy the view, okay?" A smile formed on my own face, wiping away any previous concern. "Right!"

I had thought those were painful tears, and for a long time I was oblivious to their true meaning. He was so happy he was crying. I just didn't understand.

I wish I had.

* * *

After many long hours, we arrived in Dubai. The airport was far different from that of the one in Damascus; everything here was very much rushed and panicked. If I hadn't been holding onto Odion as we disembarked, I surely would have lost my way. As we walked through the exiting security station, we were stopped. Apparently, they paid a little more detail to bag checks here. An older gentleman with a long, grey beard and a tired expression made us stop. My brow furrowed almost immediately, I didn't like being held up. We had to go plan our next flight out. They were searching through my black bag as if they caught something on their 'scanner.' Suddenly, I bit my lip and looked up to Odion.

"The rod," I whispered. "They found the rod."

He said nothing, looking calmly ahead and answering the questions another guard was asking. The older looking gentleman walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You come with me." He had a thick, burly-sounding accent and seemed quite unimpressed with having to pull a thirteen year old aside. I flinched away from him, holding tightly onto Odion's sleeve.

"No."

Little did I know, that gave them cause to be suspicious. Odion pushed me gently away, smiling all the while. "Just go talk with them, tell them nothing about the powers." He spoke in our foreign Egyptian tongue, so that the others couldn't understand. I nodded nervously, turning slowly and following the older looking man (who, may I add, stunk something fierce) into a sectioned off room.

My thoughts raced as I stepped in to see a small, black table. On one end, there was an empty chair. On the table...

The Millennium Rod.

A lump formed in my throat as I looked to the other end of the table. There sat a gentleman who was very well dressed, and obviously American. He had shaggy, black hair and surprisingly bright blue eyes. He was wearing a suit and a bright gold badge on his right breast-pocket. There was an odd way about the way he smiled. It didn't seem real. Gesturing towards the seat I was nearest to, he broadened his fake grin. "Please, take a seat."

My eyes didn't leave the rod as I sat down, my stomach flipping over. If only I could reach over and grab it, I could easily take control of the situation...

I felt helpless.

As I sat down, he pushed a bowl of candy over in my direction. I barely noticed. I was fixated on the rod, I could feel the darkness inside me swelling with rage - how had I managed to lose it? Why did I let it fall into their hands?

'_It's all your fault, boy! You should have been more careful, now look what you've done!'  
_  
"My name is Charles Longstead. And you must be Marik Ishtar!"

I nodded numbly.

"Now, Marik, you're not in any sort of trouble." He seemed eerily calm as he poured himself a glass of water and looked to me. I forced myself to look away from the rod and up to him. I barely knew what he was saying, at the time I had no idea how to speak English. I had only learned a few key phrases, if that. The man selling me the fake motorcycle sounded nothing like this person, though. He was refined.

"I just want to know what this is. It's considered a weapon, you know. It was hiding in the bottom of your bag."

_'Lie.'_

I blinked, looking over to the rod. The darkness knew as well as I that there was no way to get out of this clean. I felt the rod's power pulsing, it was so close, if only I could just reach out...

"...No English." I mumbled, rubbing a hand to my head and avoiding his gaze.

He let out a low sigh, pulling out some paperwork and flipping through. "That's right, you're from Egypt - correct?" He nodded his head, trying to get some response out of me. All I heard was Egypt, so I nodded as well.

"Are you Odion Ishtar's brother?"

I nodded again. My fear was beginning to bubble in my stomach as desperation began to outweigh reason. I placed a hand on the table, my fingers just twitching to grab at it. "Well, Marik, this is considered a weapon. Were going to have to take it from you."

_'Don't let them take it. We __**need it. WE NEED IT.**__'_

_'Is that what he said?' _I thought desperately, _'what do I do now?'_

I struggled for the right words. Ishizu and I had read books together late at night while Father was sleeping. She brought things from the America's, so why couldn't I remember words? Think, think. Try. I had to try something. "...It's nothing." I finally mumbled, pulling the language from some far-off corner of my mind - unaware of how or why I was really able to respond. I didn't understand him. "...Father's. He's dead now, it's mine to protect." That was half-true, wasn't it? More importantly, why was I able to communicate - even if it was feeble?

"I'm sorry… but this is a Millennium Item, is it not?" Charles smirked wickedly, folding his arms along the table and leaning in towards me. "Did you know that, Marik?"

He chuckled faintly.

_What. The. **Hell.**_

_How does he know!- wait, who is he- damnit, what do I do!-_

And then, as my desperation peaked, my vision went hazy and then faded gently into black. My alter-ego wanted to have a little chat with this curious gentleman who knew so much. I sat back, watching helplessly for a moment before the darkness enveloped me further. If I knew one thing, it was this.

He was pissed.

* * *

_**I was pissed.**_

I rose Marik's slumped head slowly, a large grin adorning my face as I did. Marik had wasted enough time and gotten nowhere. As I smiled, Charles expression changed instantly; as if he knew who I was and why I was there. I took in a deep breath then, and in fluent English, slurred out the following line:

"Charles, is it… Let's talk."


	8. Delays

_prologue pt. 1  
_

I never dreamed of being in the outside world at all, especially in a place like Dubai.  
Some things were just meant to happen, I guess.  
Sister would've called it destiny...  
I called it '_shit-outta-luck'._

* * *

**LIGHTS** - Chapter Eight  
"Delays"

_Malik POV_

I could see right through him. Hell, he was a self-glorified, falsified piece of government scum. Anybody could see that. Although not well versed in the modern world and the habitual routines of _these_ types of people, Charles was completely readable. And although I could see his intentions, his _true _intentions, I thought I'd try to play his game a little while longer.

'_What the hell are you doing?'_ Marik screamed from inside, where I had been watching throughout this entire process. He had been desperate; he was basically begging me to take over the situation. Besides, how was he going to fix anything? He was just a scared little boy.

'_Improvising, now shut up.'_ I didn't have time to deal with Marik.

My focus switched back to Charles.

He was a curious piece of work.

"Now listen here," I leaned back in my chair, kicking my feet up onto the table. "I have no idea who you are and what you want with the Millennium Items, but let me tell you something." Pausing, I looked to him to gauge his reaction. Although a rather composed man, I could see the interest - and fear - lingering in his eyes. Any normal human would have thrown a fit. _Interesting._

That, or he would have shot me with that shiny little pistol by now. He was obviously intrigued.

"…you've just taken your first step down a very dangerous path, my friend." I purred, crossing my arms along my chest and smirking slightly. Very dangerous indeed. "Tell me… what are your intentions?"

'_Why are you playing along with it? Just take the damn thing and-'_

Charles relaxed in his chair, his hands resting peacefully together now on the table. He closed his eyes as he began to speak, almost as if he had rehearsed this moment to himself. "I wish to bring the Millennium Items together in order to create a new order; a better world, under better rule and regulation."

"That's more or less a _Pharaohs _job, isn't it?" He blinked as I spoke, obviously ignorant to the meaning behind my words. "Oho… so, then, if your unaware of the history of the items themselves - how did you manage to learn about them?" This seemed to set Charles back on edge. Wonderful.

"When I was a young boy, my father owned a stall in a small market square. From time to time, we got people bringing in items of intrigue. On one particular afternoon, a young gentleman brought in a necklace." Marik and I remained silent; we were well versed in each of the Millennium Items and the powers they held. It was obvious he was referring to the Millennium Necklace, an object of which insurmountable power could be obtained. Not as much as the Rod, of course, but still… "He became fascinated by the object, and spent every ounce of his energy into researching its history. From what we were able to track down through various agencies, we determined that this was no ordinary necklace. It held powers. Incredible powers." He paused then, a slight twitch in his jaw as he tried to find the right words. "But it rejected my father, and despite his efforts, the Necklace didn't want anything to do with him. That's when it fell into my hands."

"This is all rather charming, but what's your point?"

"The Necklace and the spirit within it accepted me, for a brief period of time. I learned that the powers, when brought together, could make one the ultimate master of death and wielder of power. For years, I searched for an answer behind them but could find nothing." He eyed me very carefully, as if some long-speculated hunch was beginning to resurface. "…I couldn't trace the origins of the Necklace, but I can trace the origins of your Rod to you."

Now I was beginning to get a little pissed off. "Great story, really riveting. Have you ever considered giving up this half-assed dream for professional literature?" I was growing incredibly impatient. It was fairly evident that he no longer had the Necklace in his possession, which made him a complete and utter waste of time. He wasn't even rehearsed in the ancient scriptures, nor did he know where the items came from. He was just a desperate man searching for answers and power. There was nothing else to him.

"I've considered it," he rose from his chair then, pulling that lovely little gun from his pocket. There was a knocking on the door, but he ignored it. He pointed his gun at me, a snarky little smile on his face as he gestured towards the Rod. "but I feel my interests lie elsewhere. Now, surrender the rod to me peacefully and you can leave."

The room was silent for what felt like hours, when in reality it was only mere seconds. Suddenly, I burst out into laughter, almost keeling over from how much my sides hurt. Charles blinked, obviously taken back a bit.

"Are you the spirit that possesses the rod…?" He asked slowly.

"Of course I'm not, you fool." I let out one last chuckle before picking up the rod. He cocked his gun, ready to fire - at a thirteen year old boy, to boot. This guy really had no reservations, did he? "I'm just Marik's better half." The rod glowed at my touch, and with one swift movement I had Charles crashing into the wall behind him. His gun flew out of his hands and onto the ground by my feet.

"So easy to kill; so unprotected without your gun." I sneered, stepping towards him as he tried to scramble to his feet. "Did you think I would hand over the Rod peacefully? Honestly? Or are you just too scared to try and attack Marik?"

'_Leave him be! He's done nothing - he is not an impertinence along the path to becoming Pharaoh. You'll draw too much attention to us, and Odion!' _I grunted. Damn that Odion. He had the power to suppress me. It would be better off if I had put him in danger and had him locked up. "Fine, I'll leave him. No point wasting energy and time, we've already wasted enough." Charles looked up to me, a thin line of blood dripping down his chin.

"You'll… regret this…" He mumbled, which made me chuckle even more.

"Yeah? We'll see about that."

* * *

_Marik POV_

As I slipped out of the interrogation room, my hands were shaking furiously. Was it fear? Paranoia? Anger? Whatever it was, I didn't like it. My darkness had taken over and dealt with our little problem, sure, but what did it all mean? There were so many questions, and only a few had been answered. I walked briskly down the hall, desperately wishing to find Odion before the other officers found their 'lead detective' crippled up against a wall. In any normal circumstance I could have dealt with it myself, I should have… but for some reason I couldn't control it. I couldn't control when the darkness decided to rear his head and make an appearance. Not anymore.

"Marik!" Odion was sitting at one of the terminal chairs when he spotted me and jumped out of his seat. I looked defeated and incredibly fatigued, but at least I was in one piece and free. That's all Odion cared about. Without skipping a beat, he grabbed our luggage and briskly walked me out of the terminal and into the open air.

"We're going to have a bit of a layover," he mumbled, pulling the tickets out of his trench coat pocket and handing them over to me. "it appears as if we'll be stuck in Dubai for a night, and then boarding a plane to the America's tomorrow. I believe the place we'll be landing is called Chicago, or something of that sort."

Another layover? Groaning, I took a better look at the tickets.

Wait.

I stopped. Many people were rushing by on the boardwalk, but none seemed to pay any mind to me as I stared down blankly at the tickets. What was taking so long? Why couldn't we just fly to Japan? I was almost positive that there were some direct flights, I had seen many on the large computer board. Grinding my teeth anxiously, I looked up to Odion who had stopped a few feet away from me. It couldn't be…

"What's wrong, Marik?"

"You're stalling us." My voice was hoarse as I spoke, probably from having some_thing_ else use my body. There was no other explanation for Odion's actions, however. "There are plenty of flights… and yet you're laying us over in America." I could see Odion growing weary, his grip on the luggage had loosened significantly and he stared at me through sad, brown eyes. I could easily have marched back in there and taken control of any of the staff, yet the thought that Odion was putting us off track was infuriating. Didn't he always support me? Wasn't he supposed to be in this as much as I was?

'_He doesn't want us to do it. He wants us to abandon the plan.' _The chuckle from the corner of my mind reverberated throughout my head.

"Why!" I finally bellowed, stomping my foot on the ground like a child. Despite being a teenager and having common-sense, I had gone through enough shit today. I didn't need any more of this manipulation; wasn't I the one who was supposed to be messing around with others? "There's no reason for you to be putting this off, **Odion!** I want to get there _now._ Why are you making us wait!" My eyes grew wide with desperation; no, disbelief.

Odion looked surprised by my outburst. Then again, he had no idea what happened in that room with Charles - and at this moment I didn't quite feel like indulging him with it. "Marik… you are not ready."

"Like **hell** I'm not ready." I spat back, catching the attention of some of the passers-by as I cursed. "I've been waiting, and waiting and waiting and now that I have the power… now that I know what to do, we should be _leaving__**."**_

"You are not ready." He repeated, that same passive tone in his voice. I _hated _it.

"And what the fuck do you know, huh?" I whined, grabbing at my hair and pulling it angrily. That was it. "I'm ready for this - I've done everything right and know **exactly how to proceed!** I don't _need _you, I can do this just fine on my own!" That seemed to hit Odion rather square in the chest. He just stared at me unblinking, his lip trembling ever-so-slightly. I knew he couldn't leave though, he wouldn't abandon me like this. As much as I hated to admit it, without him I would have been… I would have been dead by now.

"We need more training, Marik." He mumbled, looking disappointedly down at the ground. "There's no way we can win this thing where we're at now. We need to strategize and find out what we're up against." He paused, "I know you're ready to go mentally, you've been ready for a while. I just think we need to work more. After the America's, I promise we will go to Domino City. I promise."

"But… Odion…" My voice cracked, and I felt like dropping to my knees in defeat. How was I not ready? "I can do this… we can do this."

He walked up to me, kneeling down in front of my defeated form and smiling. "I know you, Marik. You're rushing into this head-first without even thinking about the ramifications. You need to make sure you are absolutely sure of every little detail; there can be no error. We cannot mess up like this again."

I had to put my trust in Odion, I always did.

Who else did I have to rely on other than him? He told me the truth, the whole and complete truth all of the time - and he always believed in me. He knew what we needed to do, and so did I. He was right, too. Today we had come too close; too close to losing the one thing that would help guide me to the destined path of the Pharaoh. My heart was in it. I could do this.

"I've got a plan, Odion." The sun in the distance was setting over the Dubai skyline. From where we stood, we could see the outline of the city centre as clear as a bell; the large, towering buildings were mere shadowed figures. We stood with our backs facing the airport terminal, both of us facing towards tomorrow and the troubles it would bring. "…it's going to be tough, but I've been thinking about it for a while." I mumbled, feeling for the rod that sat looped in my belt and under my shirt. "It is beautiful here, isn't it..."

Odion smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder, looking out at the beautiful oranges and yellows that filled the once blue sky magnificently. "Yes," he smiled, happy to have found peace for this one moment.

"Of course."

* * *

"S-sir, are you sure you're alright…"

Charles was staring at a computer screen intently, watching a black and green grid. On the grid, there was a singular white dot. He rubbed at the back of his neck, both disappointed and ashamed of himself for under-estimating Marik. Still, he had the upper hand. He always had the upper hand, with every case. Although he promised Washington he'd bring back something solid, something to present to them as the mightiest weapon, he would have to hold out.

For now.

"Keep that tracker on 24/7. I want a surveillance team on their asses every second, following their every move."

"Yes, sir!"

The white dot flickered. Charles eyes hardened, his determination already set in stone.

"You're as good as dead…"


	9. Safe And Sound

** Authors Note**: I love you all. Seriously. This super long chapter is my way of making up for having disappeared for so long, I hope you all enjoy. 333

**LIGHTS**  
Chapter Nine: "Safe and Sound"

_Marik POV_

* * *

_Ladies and gentleman, we will be arriving in Chicago momentarily. Please make sure your safety belts are still secured and that all electronic devices have been shut off. Thank you for flying with International Air, and we hope we are the number one choice for all your travel needs!_

The plastic was cold against my cheek. I watched the rising sun through the little window, my head resting up comfortably against the head of my chair. Odion was fast asleep beside me since he hadn't slept, that sceptic. I'd taken the time to tell him everything that had happened with that Charles fellow, and he hadn't liked it one bit. _'That's the last thing we need, some American knowing all about our purpose. What was he doing in Dubai? Who is he?' _I had let him go off asking questions to himself, too preoccupied with my own plans. I told Odion that I had a plan for when we arrived to Japan, but did I really...? Letting a soft sigh escape my lips, I pressed my palm against my other cheek and watched as we descended down into the clouds. The sky was bright and alive with blazing reds and fluttering yellows, making the clouds appear almost as if they were dancing. The thought brought a smile to my otherwise tired expression, and for a brief moment I felt that familiar sense of calm. The sort of peace I'd felt upon first leaving Egypt, the absolute serenity of solitude.

Of freedom.

Never had I once imagined that I would one day be in the sky, flying around like a bird. I was soaring up and above the rest of the world, looking down at the cities and countries below as if they were mere specks on an incredibly detailed map. It was a perspective I'd never once considered, and I took that brief moment of serenity to contemplate it. At that age, I hadn't ever considered exactly how small I actually was in the grand scheme of things. Unconsciously, my hand reached over to graze the surface of the window as we dipped below the horizon. There was nothing but clouds for a long time but the hazy grey in comparison to the vivid colors of the world above definitely fitted the mood for upcoming events. I watched my violet eyes soften in my own reflection, and a numbing sense of false security wrapped its arm around me like an old friend. Things were changing, and I was finally beginning to feel the gravity of the situation.

_'Are you nervous?'_ My inner 'problem' decided to shatter my peaceful moment with his usual snarly attitude, but I tried not to let it bother me too much. Not now. Closing my eyes, I pressed the surface of my hand against the cool window with a bit of a sad smile. _'You better enjoy this for now, kid. Once we reach Japan, it's all over... this peace bullshit you keep thinking about? Done. Don't forget what, no, who you're doing this for. And you need my help.'_

"Shut up for once." I smiled a little myself, my breathing slowing down as sleep threatened to overcome me. We were only a short distance away now from our destination, and there was plenty to worry about, but the sound of wind rushing against the wing of the large jet seemed to soothe me in an indescribable way. "Just... give me this one last moment, would you?" I had a sinking feeling that it would be my last time being at peace like this; too much had happened and there was not much time now before things began to move. Soon, I would be well on my way to finding the Pharaoh. I would finally be able to avenge my father, my sister, my family... and I would claim my freedom, the liberty that was rightfully mine as any other human being. Then I would live out in this big world, own a motorcycle, drive down a long dirt road as fast as I could with the wind whipping through my hair...

Peace.

Would I be able to feel this way again?

_'It's admirable, really.'_ My alter-ego mumbled in the bowels of my subconsciousness, drumming his fingers along to some imaginary beat. _'I suppose I should cut off these childish dreams of yours at one point or another, the longer I let you think this way... the harder things will become. Maybe then... ah, right, America. This should be perfect. My trigger. Dream for now, Marik, you foolish boy. Make peace with yourself, and enjoy these butterflies and rainbows while they last.'_

He smiled.

And I had no idea how right he would be.

* * *

We had officially landed at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, US. After a rather rude awakening during our bumpy landing, both Odion and I left the plane and gathered up our luggage from the terminal. I marvelled as we walked along at the amount of people filtering in and out of the terminal and could not understand one word that was blared out over the announcements. This made me come to a small realization, something I hadn't quite considered before. My run-in with Charles was an indication of this, but I didn't really take it into account. Unfortunately for us, I didn't know a word of English. My inner-self had done all the talking with Charles, and god knows how he knew to speak it. Odion wasn't that versed in it either, although I was sure he knew enough to get by. My brow furrowed slightly at this thought, and as we exited the main doors, I turned to him.

"I don't speak English, you know." I mumbled passively, adjusting my bag on my shoulder and glancing around at the busy street in front of us. We got quite a few of curious stares as we stood waiting for a taxi-cab, but I paid no heed. Perhaps they were just a curious breed of folk, I thought. Odion carefully placed his two bags down on the boardwalk and shuffled through his coat pockets for a moment until turning back to me with a smile. "We can go over the basics tonight if you would like, Marik. But... have you not considered just using the rod in tough situations requiring the language until you learn?" My eyes widened at his suggestion, but he simply smiled. Odion hadn't ever openly suggested me using the rod, but in this case I supposed he was right in saying it. It was a wonderful idea; when I entered the minds of others, it didn't matter what language they spoke or where they were from. I could read their every thought and control their every action in a way that was commutable. Thinking of the other untapped powers that the rod held and what it could accomplish, a small smile curled the corners of my lips upward and a sense of relief washed over me once more. There was nothing to worry about, everything was slowly sorting itself out.

Our journey from the cab to the hotel was uneventful, and by the time we arrived up into our room Odion was ready to pass out again. It seemed as if he suffered from a phenomenon called 'jet-lag,' which was described to him in a brochure provided to us in the jet. Seeing as I was chalk-full of energy and spirit, for we only had two more days until we left for Japan, I was inclined to stretch my legs a little. However, it was obvious that Odion wouldn't approve of me wandering about alone, so I laid out on my bed and flicked on the television to wait until he fell asleep. Flicking absentmindedly through most of the channels, I found myself incredibly unamused with the lack of interesting content on this marvellous little machine. And then, when I'd lost all hope in American programming, I found something.

_And now we go live to Maxamillion Pegasus, who had just announced the launch of Duelist Kingdom! Sir, our sources indicate that you will be inviting revered duelists such as Seto Kaiba. Kaiba Corp has worked closely with developing duelist software and technologies to aid the gaming experience; tell us, how do you think he will fair in your tournament?_

"Damn it!" I could see a bunch of dueling cards in the background and knew instantly that this was something I needed to see, but I couldn't understand a single word. Again. Damn this language barrier! A soft chuckle rumbled in the back of my mind, and I slapped my hand angrily down on the bed. _'If you're so desperate to know, that is Maxamillion Pegasus. He's being asked about Seto Kaiba.'_ Blinking, my mouth began to open a little as that nagging little voice actually decided to speak about something useful. My interest peaked immediately, but I had to hold in my excitement if I didn't want to wake up Odion. "Who's Seto Kaiba?" I mumbled, narrowing my eyes at the male with the long white hair now speaking on the television.

_'When we stole that deck of cards from that first man early on, didn't you take a peek into his mind?' _I shook my head, and he simply chuckled again. Apparently I was amusing, it seemed. _'Seto Kaiba is one of the richest people in Japan, and also one of the best duelists. I also have a sneaking suspicion that we are somehow fated to meet him. Just my theory though, hmm.' _The television switched to footage of a tall, brown-haired individual with a rather sour expression. Upon hearing the name again, I could only assume that was the boy they'd been talking about. He looked right around my age, which intrigued me even more. Silently, I flicked the television off and sat up to swing my legs over the side of my fluffy mattress. Odion was fast asleep, which gave me the perfect opportunity to leave unnoticed.

_'Marik. When we get to Japan, I doubt the three of us will be enough. We will need numbers. You must take all possibilities into consideration. These people have money and resources. We do not. If we're not careful, they'll find us before we have the opportunity to hunt them down.'_

"My, you're being rather pessimistic today." I mumbled quietly, rummaging through my bag and pulling out a black sweatshirt. Chicago was a cold place, well, compared to the sort of climate that I had grown used to. Throwing it over my head, I made sure I had the rod tucked away safely underneath and brushed my fingers against it before pulling the fabric back over. "As long as we have this, we're unstoppable. Didn't you tell me that yourself?"

_'Aa, now that's more like it.' _He purred, _'How you've grown, Marik.'_

* * *

**"_Tickets here! Get your tickets for tonight's game! Come on folks, get your tickets!"_**

Chicago was an incredibly busy city. It was also incredibly packed, like they had to fit all their buildings into one jam-packed space or else. The hustle and bustle was something I didn't think I could ever get used to, but I wasn't confused in the slightest. The streets were almost too easy to navigate, and in no time I'd figured out how I would be able to backtrack to the hotel should I have lost my way. Sliding my hands into my pockets, I began mingling about in the crowd, staring up at the massive buildings that towered over the streets. They may have been big, but they were nothing compared to the pyramids I had read about with Ishizu. These paled in comparison; both man-made, but totally different times. Would people thousands of years from now view these cities and temples as relics too?

Letting my imagination run wild with questions, I found myself walking past a group of people playing instruments on the street. People seemed to walk by like they weren't even there, and this puzzled me for a moment. Was there a copious amount of ignorance in this place, or was it something else? For all the books I'd studied on the fine arts, music was an expression of the soul – it must be encouraged, it said, not neglected like this. I stalled in front of the people playing, watching quietly and giving them a quick look over. I didn't have anything to give, but they did not look to me expecting money either. They simply continued to play on despite a lack of general enthusiasm. This troubled me; the human psyche was indeed a curious little piece of work. With a small smile, I turned on my heel and continued my tour through the cramped streets. After twenty minutes of walking straight, I found myself coming to the end of the street and arriving another large but shorter building. The sign out front read Union Station, and the crowds here seemed even more dense. There was the screeching of metal against metal off in the distance, and curious to figure out what that wretched sound was, I walked towards what appeared to be the main entrance. From there, I saw a large paved area around the entrance where many people sat on their phones or holding long white sticks that were... smoking? What on earth were those?

_'Hah! Such a sheltered life.' _I ignored him, taking a look around and coming to a stop near a large stone pillar at the foot of the door. I stayed for only a moment, for something off in a walkway to the right caught my eye. A group of young people, very much my age, gathered together in a circle and were making quite the ruckus... but nobody seemed to notice.

Amidst the noise of the general crowd, I heard what sounded like a muffled scream, and even my inner-self's ears seemed to perk up at the sound. Being cautious, I took a look around to try and see if anybody else was going to go over and see what was going on, but people continued on their way. When it was clear that nothing was going to be done, and when another muffled scream echoed through the hall quite plainly, I pushed through the swarm of people entering the station and towards the alley.

_'Careful, Marik.'_

"You think you can steal from Johnny and nothin' will come of ya, bitch! Ya picked da wrong guy to take dope from, ya stupid piece of shit!" A generously proportioned boy with sickeningly curly hair slammed the side of his foot into the head of someone lying on the floor. Three other males surrounded the biggest one, smug looks plastered on their acne-covered faces. They snickered as the figure sobbed, taking the opportunity to throw in a few more powerful kicks. As I approached from the side, I caught wind of the larger ones tone and automatically knew that this was not a good idea. What was I doing? I had nothing to do with this, but my feet would not stop moving and for some reason I felt myself infuriated. That was no way to torture someone, it was brutal and uncalled for out in the open like this. My inner-ego had stepped aside to see what I would do, and I wasn't quite sure myself.

What was I going to do?

I stopped a few feet away from the group of them, and one of the lackeys seemed to notice. "Brian, ey! There's some brown piece of crap, what the hell you staring at kid? Got a problem?" I held my gaze steady with his, and when all four of them turned to look at me, my eyes flickered for a moment to the heap curled up on the floor. The momentary pause in their beating gave them a chance to move, if only a little, and I was able to get a relative idea of who was lying down in a pool of their own blood.

It was a girl.

Wait... was she alive? Had they done this?

"Looks like this guy don't know no English, ey boys?" The fat one sneered, and I knew at least that much. And they were ones to talk! My brow furrowed a little, having only a few more seconds to decide my course of action before I was sure I'd be crushed under that gullet. I could always use the rod and simply control them away from this place, but something about the way they'd so easily beaten a young girl to a bloody pulp got my blood boiling. Grinding my teeth bitterly, I rolled up the sleeves of my sweater and weighed the advantages. I was thin framed and they were rather huge, so there was speed on my side. There was also the possibility of being seen. If I wanted to do this, I had to make it quick.

"Looks like he wants to fight, boss! Let's get 'em-"

I gave them no time to finish. With a swift and easy motion, I pulled the butt-end of the rod out from underneath my sweater in the form of my dagger and dashed towards them without hesitation. The lackeys stepped back, but the giant 'boss' braced himself with a stupid grin like he was going to win this. A smile broke across my own features as I pretended to go right around him, but instead kicked my foot up directly into his chin. When I heard the crack of his jaw under my foot, I spun around him and shoved my dagger into his right side with as much force as I could. Before I'd realized what I'd done, I could hear the other lackeys come up behind me. Yanking my dagger free from the fat, I kicked his back and watched as he fell to the ground while clutching his side. The sound of him hitting the floor made part of me lurch... some memory buried deep inside struggling to break free.

_Die._

_No! Don't do it!_

_Please, no- _

_NO!_

My head throbbed, but there was an insane amount of adrenaline pumping furiously through my veins; I felt alive, powerful, in control... I was in control. Not the rod, not my other self, but just me. It was my abilities alone that had brought him to his knees, and I could do it again. Again and again. I had no idea how the instinct came so easily, but with the dagger in my hand, I felt like nothing could stop me. The thought sent an excited shiver down my spine and I smiled, underestimating just how easily one could grow attached to such a feeling. My heart pounding like never before, I jumped forward and clipped one of them in the side of the head hard with my free fist while the two others only then began to back up. Smiling, I watched as the boy fell down unconscious and turned to the boys while casually twirling the handle of my dagger. Perhaps the fact I hadn't spoken a word scared them even more. Oh, how exciting.

_'Now now, Marik... what did I say about being careful?'_

I couldn't help it. How could anybody ignore something like this? They were going to beat her to death, defenceless, nobody even stopping to pay heed. Is this what this country was? It made me furious. So furious, I had no idea how to control myself...

"J-Jer, let's go-" One yelped, grabbing his arm and dashing frantically out of the alley. With a slight pout, I watched as my prey scuttled away. What a pity. The two I'd already knocked down were now down for good, and the thought was somewhat pleasing. I slipped the dagger back into the rod, looking at the both of them with a click of my tongue until my eyes fell upon their victim. My insane adrenaline rush washed away almost instantly as I noticed that she began to move a little. Any indication of the me that had existed a mere five seconds ago seemed to simply wash away, and a confusing sense of worry filled me up. I rushed over, bending down beside her and gently helping her sit up as she coughed up a bit of blood. I took a moment to observe her; she had bright blonde hair, plain brown eyes and in comparison to myself also quite pale. Still, there was a hardness about her thin face that made me think she was much tougher than being reduced to this. Without a word, I pulled my sweater off and quickly wrapped it around her shivering figure. Despite people ignoring her cries, I could only assume that one would not ignore two unconscious bodies lying amidst a pool of blood, so my best bet was to get us both out of there.

_'Wait, what are you doing? Marik, leave her be! She is none of our concern!'_

"I'm not just going to leave her here, idiot." I hissed, pulling the girl up onto my back. She too said nothing and didn't hesitate in the slightest. It took a minute or two to get her properly adjusted, but once I had, I dashed off in the same direction that the two idiots had run off into. There was no way I could go on a main street, how bad would that look?

_Beep beep._

"...There." She mumbled something, but I didn't know what. I looked over my shoulder at her as best as I could, noticing that she was pointing off at yet another alley. For all the main hustle and bustle in Chicago, there wasn't anybody in or around this area at all. With a quick nod, I ran off in the direction she pointed. I could feel a hot liquid running down my leg, and knew that each quick stride I took only made her bleed more. Turning a sharp corner, I stumbled upon a dead-end and figured it would probably be the best place to get her fixed up.

"Alright, here." Setting her down carefully up against the wall, I pushed a couple of garbage cans out of the way and immediately knelt down beside her. She was shaking in my sweater, beads of sweat dripping down her face like a faucet. I wiped the perspiration from my own forehead, debating on what to do next. Instinctively, I reached for the rod and Odion's words rung clear through my head. It wasn't just a tool for manipulation, it could also be used in situations such as these where a language barrier is apparent. I held it close to my side, taking in a deep breath and hoping it worked. As I did, the frontal eye began to glow and the rod resonated at my touch.

"Tell me your name." I mumbled.

_Beep beep._

"Leanne Abraham." Her voice was terribly soft, and at the sound of it, I felt my cheeks warm slightly. I had never associated myself with women all that much besides my sister, not like I had much opportunity to, but this was my first time actually meeting one. It caught me off guard, and I struggled with deciding what to ask next. She caught my embarrassed gaze and smiled a little, making me even more flustered. At fifteen, I was no expert at hormones, but even though she was plain there was something dazzlingly radiant about her. "Wow... your hair is so bright..."

_Beep beep._

"T-Tell me where you're from."

"Here... I live in Chicago..." Leanne coughed, bending over a bit and covering her mouth with her hand. At least I was able to figure out something, by any rate. This had turned into a rescue mission, not a leisurely stroll. Odion was going to be so angry, that was guaranteed. "Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" I looked at her worriedly, a strange sense of concern filling me.

_'Hey, what's that?'_

_Beep beep._

"Cute... you... saved me, didn't you?" Her eyes went wide and she looked up to me, making me shift uncomfortably. I opened my mouth to say something else, but no words came out. Instead, I looked down at her, swallowing down a hard lump that began to form in my throat. I nodded stupidly, mouth still agape as she continued to just _stare_ at me. It was making me so incredibly uncomfortable that I couldn't bare to take it for much longer. Was there something on my face? Had she seen me attack those guys? Ugh, how uncool of me.

_Beep beep._

_'Marik-!'_

"Thank you." Leanne smiled, shakily reaching out her hand and brushing it against the surface of my cheek. My face really did go red that time, and all I could do was just kneel there like an idiot. "You saved my life, I couldn't ever thank you enough. Just... t-thank you." Her bright brown eyes filled with tears, and I just watched as they trickled down her cheeks. A new sort of adrenaline started pumping my heart, _bumbumbum _so very quickly, and for that brief albeit fluttering moment there was no such thing as the Pharaoh or the God Cards. I never lived in that tomb, and I never had a reason for wanting to hurt anyone. It was just me and Leanne, and the entire world outside of us didn't exist. The thought made me smile, and I reached up slowly to brush my fingers against the surface of her hand. I was wanted, I was appreciated. This...

"You're welcome."

_It's... the first time I've ever saved anyone, isn't that something?_

_'MARIK, SNAP OUT OF IT! YOU IDIOT! HAVEN'T YOU HEARD-'_

I blinked at the screaming in my head, focusing in again on Leanne's face and quickly realized her eyes had grown wide with... what was it, fear? Was she looking behind me? Before I even had the time to turn, before I could even move, a resounding crack exploded in the air behind me.

...

"W-W...wh..."

As quick as the sound had been, a singular bullet shot straight through the middle of her forehead. And just like that, her body slid down the wall and slumped over to one side. Her eyes still wide open as blood began to pour from the open wound in her head. So much blood, so much, her eyes... they... no... no...

I couldn't breathe. I had watched it all, within a matter of seconds, this... she didn't...

"Now that you're done talking, I'd like a few words with you." The smooth, sick fuck voice behind me made every single one of my hairs stand up on end. Panic still shook me, my heart was still racing, and I heard the gun click. "You do remember me, right?"

Everything went black.

* * *

_Malik POV_

"Ha...aha...hahahah! HAHAHAHAH! AHHHHAHAH!"

I grinned, malicious intent sweeping over this once poor and fragile little boy who hadn't the common sense to just _listen._ I warned him, well... tried at least. Clutching onto the rod very tightly and staggering up to my feet, a sly grin spread across my face and I turned to face our dearly departed friend _Charles._ Oh, **whoop-dee-doo**. I knew that our previous run-in wouldn't be the last we'd see of him; these collector types, always willing to go to whatever end to get what they want. He was seeking an item and a power that he had no idea how to control, what foolishness this was. Really, and he had to go and shoot the girl too? This obviously made Marik mad, for it was not only me fueling this now, but his rage had too taken over while overpowering his shock.

Ah, so this was my trigger.

_Kill him. _Marik seethed inside, I could just feel it. It gave me more strength than ever. _Make him suffer._

"I must thank you, Charles." I finally boomed, watching as he pointed his gun steadily at me knowing full well that he could not hurt me with such a pathetic thing. For the wielder of the Millennium Rod was all powerful, and some little toy could do me no harm. He must have known this though, alas. "For you have now given me reason to put better faith in my other half. He says we should kill you, you know."

Charles smiled then, a rather curious thing.

"Try me."


End file.
